Traditional telephone networks are designed to provide voice transmissions, and performs this function well. In general, however, the existing telephone networks are not adept at high speed data transmission. Digital Subscriber Line technology (DSL) uses existing twisted pair telephone lines to transport high bandwidth data, such as multimedia, video on demand, and Internet access, to data service subscribers. DSL technology uses a DSL transceiver unit (e.g. modems, splitters, and other communication equipment) at the central office of the data services provider and at the subscriber premises to utilize a greater range of frequencies of the telephone line than traditional telephone services, resulting in high speed data transmission.
To receive data services, therefore, a subscriber must install the proper communication equipment at the subscriber premises to support transmitting and receiving data using DSL technology over the existing telephone lines. Under certain circumstances, even a subscriber having the proper communication equipment may be unable to receive data services using particular DSL technologies. Since the communication equipment required at the subscriber premises may be expensive and the quality of data services received is uncertain, a potential data services subscriber may request from the data services provider an estimate of the data rate capacity of the telephone line servicing the potential subscriber before installing the communication equipment.
The data rate capacity of an existing telephone line generally defines the maximum throughput of the telephone line and typically depends on a number of factors. For example, the data rate capacity of a particular telephone line depends on the length of the telephone line, the gauge of wiring used in the telephone line, and the number and type of noise or interference producing elements present near the telephone line. A typical telephone line may be arranged in one or more binder group segments. In general, a binder group segment comprises a collection of telephone lines that share a common sheath. Each of the factors which affects the data rate capacity of a particular telephone line may vary among the different binder group segments of that telephone line. In addition, the provisioning of data services to a subscriber premises over a telephone line in a particular binder group may contribute to the noise and distortion upon other telephone lines within the same binder group, thereby degrading the services already provided to other subscriber premises.
Due to the number of factors affecting the data rate capacity of a particular telephone line, data services providers often cannot provide an accurate estimate of the data rate capacity to a potential subscriber. In some cases, a data services provider may perform a “truck roll”—the dispatch of a service technician to install communication equipment or to configure the telephone line at the customer premises—to determine the data rate capacity of a particular telephone line. A truck roll, however, is time consuming and cost prohibitive for the data services provider and the subscriber.